small business resource center

| Originally published by EveryLibrary | Libraries exist to help people succeed, and the business world is no exception. Many aspiring business owners got their start in a public library, whether through researching how to write a business plan, attending a class on Quickbooks, or developing a marketing list using the library’s electronic resources. The following … Read more

| Originally published on Windsor Now | The Clearview Library District has added two new free, online resources for aspiring small business owners. The Small Business Resource Center, a free online database, provides information such as how to start a business, write a business plan, craft a marketing campaign and launch a product, according to … Read more

| By Liz Mason, Vice President of Product, Gale | At Gale, we understand that it’s important for today’s libraries to bring trustworthy digital content into the natural workflow. To help you achieve that goal, we are rolling out a number of new releases designed to make it easier for discovery and access to Gale content … Read more

New enhancements now available in Small Business Resource Center (SBRC). You and your users can experience an easy-to-browse interface mapped to four key business stages—plan, fund, start, and manage—plus, new content, features, and enhanced functionality.

Enhancements for the current small business owner, as well as the aspiring entrepreneurSBRC users are now able to access the most popular features of leading Gale products, including:

Integration with G Suite for Education tools, including Gmail, Drive, Docs, and more

Highlights and notes to select and annotate important text to view, print, or export

Improved translation with text translation in 23 languages and platform translation in 34

ReadSpeaker text-to-speech technology to hear the article read out loud and download the audio file to take with them on their phone or other mobile device.

Mobile-optimized display and improved user experience on all devices

Citation Tools that generate APA, MLA, and Chicago Style citations in the most recent format

The same great content…and then someSBRC brings together hundreds of sample business plans, small business journals, and resources for many aspects of business: accounting, HR, management, marketing, taxes, and more. Content now includes a wide range of media and sources:

As a product summer intern on the Business & Organizations Team in Content & Development, I spent the last three months assessing Gale’s business content and resources. I’m excited to tell you all about the fun, intellectual work I accomplished at Gale.

Business reference: librarians either love it or hate it. Thankfully, Gale’s Small Business Resource Centermake’s it easy for us. Seriously – if you haven’t looked at SBRC recently, do yourself a favor and check it out. You’ll thank me later.

My husband and two business partners recently decided that what they really should do for their midlife crisis is open a brewery. He couldn’t just buy a Corvette – he decided to open a small business. He (and both partners) are engineers, so they don’t have a lot of experience opening or running a business. Gale’s Small Business Resource Center came to their rescue. (Well, my rescue if I’m being honest. Who do you think did a lot of the research for them?)

You may remember last year when we published a blog about Samantha Cole’s editorial in Fast Company magazine. Since it’s National Small Business Week, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make sure you’re not missing out on an opportunity to leverage the gift of free advertising. Keep reading; it’s not too late.

Cole’s article, “Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library,” perfectly tells the value story of public libraries and specifically, how you support local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth. Do you ever read or hear something and think to yourself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”? This is one of those moments. What Cole has explained about libraries—and how she has explained it—is evidence-based and right on point.

Summer and reading go hand in hand. From books for the beach to bestselling paperbacks, adults take advantage of longer days and vacation time. Children are encouraged to read for fun and to combat the “summer slide.” Public library summer reading programs provide fun motivation for both adults and young people to read, read, read.

Jorge, a skilled cook and heir to his parents’ restaurant business, has been watching the fast rise of the food truck business. The time and circumstances seem right for him to expand his business by putting a truck on the road. But he wonders…has the trend already peaked? Is this the right idea to pursue?

Jorge and other small business owners in your community are looking for information that can help them understand market conditions, develop business plans, and make informed decisions to succeed. You can provide them with easy-to-use electronic resources that give them instant access to the same resources that Fortune 500 and other successful businesses use.

Be part of your community’s economic growth by providing entrepreneurs the support, information, and planning tools they need to thrive—including online courses, electronic database resources, and eBooks:

Samantha Cole, an editorial intern for Fast Company magazine, just gave your library a present—did you accept it graciously and immediately put it to good use? If not, you might be missing out on an opportunity to leverage the gift of free advertising. Keep reading; it’s not too late.

Cole’s article, “Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library,” perfectly tells the value story of public libraries and specifically, how you support local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth. Do you ever read or hear something and think to yourself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”? This is one of those moments. What Cole has explained about libraries—and how she has explained it—is evidence-based and right on point.